Most people are familiar with the general functioning of a television set. A television tube consists of a large vacuum tube with an electron beam inside of it. This beam is constantly scanning across the front of the tube containing phosphorus, exciting the particles and producing the light. CRT monitors use the same technology to produce the computer display for the user. In fact, many early CRT monitors were modified television screens used to display text from the computer. So what advantages does a CRT display give a user?

The first and foremost advantage is cost. Dollar for dollar, it is possible to get a larger and better display buying a CRT monitor when compared to an LCD screen. This primarily comes from the fact that CRT monitors have been developed over the last 20 years of computing and as such the manufacturers have already paid for most of the development and manufacturing costs.

CRTs also have multisync capability. This allows the electron gun inside the tube to adjust itself to various resolutions and refresh rates. This is very desirable if you have any need to display multiple resolutions. Games are a common area where multiple resolutions are useful. New games that may tax your computer at higher resolutions can be scaled down to lower resolutions.

The high refresh rates and response times of CRT monitors also makes them ideal for video purposes. Since the tubes are based on the same technology that is used in television sets, it makes sense that the video display of a monitor is better able to reproduce the fluid motion of video playback on the CRT.

Finally, the color clarity of CRT monitors cannot be matched by an LCD screen. With the myriad of adjustments that can be made to the contrast, brightness and hues, CRT monitors are better able to represent actual document colors. This is extremely important for individuals who work in either print or graphics industries. Having an accurate reproduction of the color of a document on the screen when it is printed can save a huge amount of hassle when it comes time to have documents published.

Of course, all these advantages do have their drawbacks as well. The biggest drawback to CRT monitors is their bulkiness. The tubes within the CRT monitors are extremely heavy. This is primarily necessary for safety reasons. The tube is a vacuum and if it were to crack, the monitor tube would implode. The tubes also draw a large amount of power. Some larger CRT monitors now can actually draw more current than the computer they are attached to. The visible area of the tube is also smaller than the actual tube size. When a company markets a 19" CRT monitor, the actual visible area of the screen will be about 1 inch less than the tube's full size due to the cabinet surrounding the tube.